July 9, 2013
July 9, 2013, Portland, OR – Susan G. Komen Oregon and SW Washington today applauds the Oregon Legislature for adopting a budget that adds $700,000 of state general funds to the Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (BCCP) for the first time in the program’s history. Because of Komen’s efforts, Oregon now joins 45 states already providing support to their BCCPs, which help low income, uninsured womenhave access to breast and cervical cancer screening. “The number one factor in surviving breast cancer is early detection”, stated Thomas Bruner, CEO of Komen Oregon and SW Washington. “These additional funds will literally save lives of women across our state.” Komen has granted almost $6.5 million to Oregon’s BCCP to date, helping provide the matching funds required to secure federal money. But with only federal and Komen funds, BCCP anticipated being able to serve only 5,500 of the estimated 77,000 women in need. State general funds will now allow up to 2,000 additional women to be served. Komen worked to secure state funding for breast and cervical cancer screening by recruiting Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenbaum to file Senate Bill 362, which authorized state general funds for the program. With five Chief Sponsors and 43 Co-Sponsors, SB 362 garnered strong bipartisan and statewide support, and was passed unanimously by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. While SB 362 eventually stalled in the Joint Ways and Means Committee, Komen’s advocacy for state funding continued, resulting in committee members allocating $700,000 to the Oregon Health Authority’s budget for the BCCP. While many of the women currently eligible for BCCP will be covered under the Affordable Care Act once implemented, as many as 25,000 women may not be covered and will still need BCCP services. “SB 362 highlighted a critical unmet need in our state, and launched a conversation about the need for greater access to breast cancer screening”, said Bruner. “Komen is grateful to SB 362’s Chief Sponsors - Sen. Diane Rosenbaum, Sen. Elizabeth Steiner-Hayward, Rep. Tim Freeman, Rep. Sara Gelser and Rep. Carolyn Tomei - and the Oregon Women’s Health and Wellness Alliance for helping Komen advance this urgent issue.
